Last week, the High Court of Justice accepted the outline proposed by the state for distributing food vouchers to needy families. Food vouchers worth 300 million shekels will be distributed by the Interior Ministry to people eligible under the criteria defined in 2023, and includes those who receive discounts on Arnona, or receive various National Insurance benefits. 

NIS 90 million will be transferred to the food security project, under which families identified by the social welfare departments in local authorities will receive food baskets to their homes on a regular basis, along with training on healthy nutrition, financial management, and their rights. The project is the preferred alternative by professionals in the field of food security, because it provides continuous, multidimensional assistance rather than one-time financial assistance. This means that the project's budget will increase from NIS 140 million in 2024 to NIS 230 million - a jump of approximately 64%. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the addition will allow the project to be expanded from approximately 26,000 families today to approximately 50,000 families.

The new outline also stipulates that any amount designated allocated for food security from 2025 onwards will be transferred through the Ministry of Social Affairs according to food security criteria only, and not based on eligibility for property tax discounts.

Who is eligible? Eligibility is determined based on the income test for 2023: Residents who received a 70% or higher property tax discount for 2024, as well as recipients of various National Insurance benefits, with some changes in favor of income support recipients and single mothers.

Amount of food vouchers:  A couple: 200 NIS per person. Each additional person in the household:150 NIS per person. Maximum amount per household: 1,600 NIS per payment.

How to check if you are eligible? You can call to check for updates at: 03-636-4664

Eligible individuals will receive the funds via the cards they had from the previous year, which will be reloaded.

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